Lakeland Car Accident Lawyer
After a car accident in Lakeland, you will likely have many questions about your rights and what compensation you could receive through an insurance claim. A crash does not only cause uncertainty around compensation but also can create personal inconveniences and interruptions when you cannot work due to your injuries.
A Lakeland car accident lawyer at Fernandez Firm Accident Injury Attorneys can answer your questions and provide you with experienced advice, an explanation of your rights, and the best chance to pursue a positive outcome following a motor vehicle accident.
Why Choose the Fernandez Firm Accident Injury Attorneys After a Car Crash?
Our team of attorneys and legal staff at the Fernandez Firm Accident Injury Attorneys have decades of experience handling personal injury insurance claims and cases on behalf of victims of negligence. We have amassed over $100 million in compensation for our clients through verdicts or settlement agreements relating to personal injuries.
We understand the devastation and unexpected interruption that a car accident can have on your life. We want to help victims of car accidents and other personal injuries fight for the compensation the law entitles them to.
Contact us to schedule a free car accident case evaluation.
Schedule a Free Initial Consultation Today!
What Compensation Can Victims of a Motor Vehicle Accident in Lakeland Recover?
The damage that can occur because of a car accident is often extensive. As a car accident victim, you are not only dealing with property damage to your vehicle but also may have significant injuries that interfere with your ability to continue living your life normally after an accident. The extent of the damages in your case and the impact those damages cause on your life can influence how much money you may be eligible to receive for your losses.
A car accident attorney can help you sort through the wreckage and mess following a car crash to determine the actual damage you suffered. Understanding how much loss you incur is vital as you proceed through the insurance claims process. Knowing the maximum compensation you may be eligible for, based on the facts of your case, can help you make the best decisions moving forward, such as regarding settlement offers or the possibility of filing a lawsuit.
Car accident damages may include compensation for:
- Medical treatment costs, including future medical costs you may incur because of your injuries
- Loss of your income due to the crash and during the recovery of your injuries, including future losses when injuries have long-term impacts
- Pain and suffering for your physical injuries and the emotional and mental toll of the accident and your injuries
Where Are Accidents Most Common in the Lakeland Area?
Lakeland’s central location in Florida puts it in the cross-section of some of the most visited areas in the state. Many people call Lakeland home, and many more visit or pass through the area each year as they visit Florida and its most popular venues and attractions. Common interests in Lakeland can include the Polk Museum of Art, the Circle B Bar Reserve, Publix Field, and the Florida Air Museum.
The high rate of travel in and through the region contributes to a higher chance of becoming involved in a motor vehicle accident. In addition to residents and tourists that travel through the Lakeland area, various commercial trucking routes bring many shipping trucks through the area on any given day, which may also contribute to the possibility of serious motor vehicle crashes in the area. For example, the Lakeland area sees over 13,000 crashes a year, resulting in over 130 injuries and over 9,500 injuries.
The roads with the highest incidences of crashes in Lakeland include:
- Interstate 4
- U.S. 92
- State Road 37
- State Road 570
How Do Most Motor Vehicle Accidents Occur?
The underlying cause of most motor vehicle accidents is the negligence of one or more parties involved. Driver negligence can look vastly different depending on the circumstances and events leading to a crash. Narrowing down how a car accident occurs is part of the insurance claims process.Hire our car accident attorneys to review the evidence so the insurance company doesn’t blame you for the accident or multiple insurance companies don’t point their fingers at each other rather than accepting responsibility for their customers’ negligence.
Examples of negligence leading to a car accident in Lakeland may include:
- Drunk or otherwise incapacitated drivers
- Distracted driving
- Failure to abide by traffic signals or other traffic laws
- Speeding
- Aggressive driving or road rage
- Reckless drivers
- Failure to slow down in bad weather conditions or other poor road conditions
Most Frequent Injuries Sustained by Victims in Car Accidents
Your injuries from a car accident in Lakeland may be severe. Car accident injuries can range from contusions and cuts to life-altering injuries that cause significant distress and disabilities. Not only do injuries from a crash cause pain and discomfort, but they can interrupt your routine and your ability to function and meet your responsibilities. Recovering from a car accident injury takes time. During this time, you can suffer setbacks, complications, and uncertainty.
Unfortunately for some victims, a full recovery is not always possible, depending on the type of injury they sustain and the severity of the injury, leaving them with lifelong disabilities.
Common car accident injuries may include:
- Neck injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head injuries, including a TBI (traumatic brain injury)
- Lacerations
- Burns
- Amputation
- Torn ligaments, tendons, or muscles
- Dislocations
- Broken bones
- Internal injuries
The Insurance Claims Process Following a Motor Vehicle Crash in Lakeland
Although car accidents are quite common and happen across Lakeland on any given day, as a victim, you do not expect it to happen to you. Understanding your rights and the best options for you based on the facts surrounding the accident causing your damages can be difficult. However, as you begin to consider how to proceed with an insurance claim after a crash, you should also consider whether you should seek an attorney.
Insurance companies are notoriously difficult to deal with and can interfere with your ability to seek full compensation for your damages without a lawyer representing your interests. Although you may believe an insurer is on your side as a victim, that is untrue. Insurance companies’ loyalties lie with their company, so seek a lawyer to represent you and fight for your rights during a claim.
Contacting a lawyer before speaking to anyone from the insurance company is best. What you say and do after a Lakeland car accident can affect your claim and the outcome of your case. A lawyer can help you with your claim and can help you resolve the claim more quickly by avoiding common mistakes during the insurance claims process and ensuring you take the steps necessary to protect your rights and seek the damages the law allows.
What Should You Do After a Lakeland Automobile Accident?
Understandably, you may feel apprehensive following a car crash in Lakeland. You may not know how to move ahead and what to do after the crash so you do not jeopardize your case.
Any car accident produces a series of disputes between a victim, the other driver, and the insurance companies. Following a car accident, you should plan to take the steps necessary to protect your rights and pursue any monetary compensation you may be eligible for under the law. Consider the following guidelines as you navigate the aftermath and begin to take steps toward making an insurance claim for your damages.
Complete the Treatment Necessary
After a car accident injury, you are likely to receive medical attention at the scene or treatment at an emergency room during the time following the crash. However, the road to recovery from your injuries does not end at the hospital. Even if you require hospitalization, you must follow your treatment plan once released. Your team of doctors will advise you on follow-up care, including any necessary rehabilitation to help you regain function and ability when possible.
As a motor vehicle accident victim, the burden is on you to follow through with your medical treatment and reach the maximum recovery possible for the type of injury you sustain and the severity of your injuries. The insurer will closely examine the records of your injuries and whether you follow the prescribed treatment or keep up with your medical appointments after a crash.
Collect Information and Evidence to Help Your Claim
At the core of every car accident case is the burden on the victim as a plaintiff to prove who is at fault for their injuries and proving their damages. To prove fault, you will need to, in turn, prove negligence by establishing the elements under the law. To prove your damages, you must show the injuries you sustained, the damage to your car, the value of those damages, and the impact the losses will have on your life.
As you sort through the chaos after a crash, gather all information, records, and evidence that can help you prove either of these factors to a case. Police reports, medical records, employment records, photos, video footage, and witness testimony are all evidence that can prove your losses in a car accident insurance claim. Keep all evidence organized and safe until you can meet with an attorney about your case.
Keep a Record of Your Experience
Beyond the physical evidence you can collect to prove your case, your testimony is an important piece of evidence as you go through the claims process. Your recollection of the events leading up to the crash and your personal experiences during recovery can help the outcome of your case.
As time goes on, however, it can become harder to remember details, dates, and the order of how things occurred. To help you with your case as It moves forward, you can create a journal to take notes on your personal experience. The journal can include information about the accident, your healing timeline, and experiences during the recovery of your injuries.
Contact a Lakeland Car Accident Lawyer
Suffering injuries during a car accident can significantly impact the losses to a victim. You will need to worry about the medical bills for the treatment of your injuries and the impact of your injuries on your ability to work and earn income. Additionally, you may have other damages you can seek that can affect the amount of money you recover.
A Lakeland car accident attorney can make a difference in how your car accident claim and case progress. A car accident lawyer can avoid common errors leading to a claim denial or low settlement offers from the insurance company. A car accident lawyer can represent you to the insurers and other parties and negotiate for the best resolution possible.
The Fernandez Firm Accident Injury Lawyers in Lakeland Helping Clients Fight for Their Rights After a Crash
Our team of motor vehicle accident injury lawyers at Fernandez Firm Accident Injury Attorneys in Lakeland are ready to fight for our client’s rights against insurance companies and at-fault parties following a car crash.
We understand the challenges that arise during and after a crash, and as Lakeland personal injury lawyers, we can help you in navigating the accident insurance claims process. We can fight for the maximum compensation in your case and communicate with insurance companies and other involved parties for you. Contact us at (863) 230-8361 to discuss how we can help you with a free case evaluation.
The Fernandez Firm – Lakeland Office
100 S Kentucky Ave #285
Lakeland, Florida, 33801
Phone: (863) 230-8361